By Tim Peterson
A lot of football folks in the area seem surprised by all of the pub that Baldwin Park is getting. Why are we surprised? This is what Robert Maxie does.
When was the last time people were excited about Pasadena football? Maxie comes in, takes over as offensive coordinator, brings in few kids and lights up social media. Within two years the Bulldogs are dominating the Pacific League and a threat to make deep playoff runs in a high-level division. And of course the college recruiters come calling.
Now the same thing is going on at Baldwin Park. The Braves are already blowing up on social media and we’re still in the summer. BP has competed in several passing tournaments and will host a Linemen/ 7 on 7 passing tournament featuring 30 teams this Saturday. Yes 30! The Braves had a solid season last year but Maxie is planning on taking it to the next level. The 2023 schedule was already in place but look for Baldwin Park to schedule up significantly next season.
Like it or not this is what Maxie does. He puts high school programs on the map. He makes them relevant. If Robert Maxie is the head coach or on your staff you can guarantee that the profile of your program will be raised. Get ready SGV. You’ll be hearing even more out of Baldwin Park when the season kicks off…maybe even before.
Two of the players that have surfaced at Baldwin Park are already lighting up the passing circuit. Quarterback Jacob Garcia (Cantwell Transfer) and receiver Elvis Diaz Jr. (Northview Transfer) have been connecting on a regular basis and turning heads in the SGV.
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Don Lugo head coach Josh Knight is telling me that Gavin Hyrnezuk is the best receiver in the area and I’m starting to believe him. He scored 18 total touchdowns on the day to lead Don Lugo to the Chino Hills Tournament championship and was dominant at the SGV Shootout as well. This kid is legit. Hrynezuk will be hauling in passes from junior Kalib Pacheco. Running back Elijah Montijo is looking to have a big year for the Conquistadors as well.
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You’re not going to see too many familiar faces on the Monrovia sideline this year. New head coach Jose Casagran has brought in a whole new staff. Gone are familiar faces like Anthony Craft, Mike Minter and Jesus Pasten. Former Monrovia running back Maury Rams IV may be the only one you’ll recognize from the previous regime. I’m just hoping he doesn’t pancake me like he did while running a sweep for Monrovia a few years ago in a scrimmage.
Also gone is all-everything receiver Carlos Hernandez, who has taken his talents to Washington State, but the Wildcats have a suitable replacement in Noah Ellison. Ellison constantly beat his defenders at the SGV Shootout getting behind them, around them and through them. Ellison kept making plays even though the defense knew the ball was coming his way.
Quarterback Brian Salazar is back and looks markedly improved. He’s been making all the throws this summer with speed and accuracy. His footwork and reads have been precise as well according to coaches. Monrovia is going to be just fine.
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Looks like I need to start covering Village Christian. Those dudes can play.
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I guess San Dimas is going to throw the ball all over the field now after its performance at the SGV Shootout. “It’s the Air Raid offense,” said San Dimas head coach Mark Holman. Which for the Saints translates to throwing the ball four times per game instead of two. Do I think San Dimas will abandon the Wing T running attack for the spread? No, but it is nice to know the Saints can stretch the field when necessary and that could be a problem for opposing offensive coordinators.
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Northview may be pounding the rock as well. LT Alex Payan, LG Vince Gonzalez, RG Angel Corona and RT Gabe Velasco all return to a line that was outstanding a year ago. All four started for the Vikings last season. Ground and pound. When they do air it out Erik Jimenez is the projected starting quarterback and has had a very good summer.
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Matt Villasenor, former Sierra Vista head coach and most recently Bishop Amat assistant, has found a landing spot. He has joined Ben Buys’ staff at La Salle. The Lancers have already been exploding on Twitter. Matt V, as he is known around football circles, like Maxie at Baldwin Park, does wonders for revitalizing programs. See Sierra Vista.
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Circle Friday September 15 on your football calendars. St. Paul at Downey is going to be a barnburner. Do they still say barnburner? With Mike Moschetti taking the reins at St. Paul and Downey being…well…Downey it’s going to be a good one.
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El Rancho will have a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday July 6 at 6:00 p.m. to celebrate its new sports fields and aquatic complex projects. The rendition of the new football field looks remarkable complete with a blue field.
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Keppel and Hoover both competed at the SGV Shootout. Hoover dropped the program a couple of years ago and took a season off to try to get more kids out and get things back together. Keppel has seemingly been on the verge of dropping its program for years. It was good to see both of the schools out and making progress.
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The whole staff resigned at Gabrielino last week. Head Coach Joe Hartnett left to take a job at Pasadena City College and since he was just hired earlier this year, anybody that was on the staff left too. Whoever takes the job, and I hope someone does soon, it’s going to be a tough pull. By the Fourth of July, most schools have been working out for months and have already participated in several passing tournaments. And here they don’t even have a coach. Not fun.
Glendale is nearly in the same boat. I say nearly because like Gabrielino, there isn’t a coach in place. But I’ve been told a coach has been hired. In fact the coach was hired back in March but is still waiting for everything to be “cleared”. Hopefully all of the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed by the opening night kickoff.
Ironically Gabrielino and Glendale opened the season last year at Glendale with the Eagles winning 14-6. They should match up again. Whoever names a head coach first gets the home field. Now that would be a barnburner!
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim.midvalleysports@gmail.com or on Twitter @tspeterson40 or Facebook-Tim Peterson.
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@Anonymous,
There are kids who are already getting recruited and already have offers who are transferring. Makes no sense. To me, that means it’s coaches poaching kids, “sliding in DM’s” and other unethical stuff.
Why are kids and parents so dumb, 99% of them couldn’t play at Cerritos college, ball out for your local school and stop being brainwashed by con men.
@FBfan that’s what it has come to, kid are transferring to were they think the coach will get them recruited
@ Anonymous,
So you’re saying that coaching high school football is more about luring teenage boys to come and play for your team as opposed to coaching up the kids you have? That doesn’t sound like coaching at all to me.
@FBfan it’s a different era now kids follow coaches and there allowed to do so the old days of building through the lower levels are over unless you a powerhouse school because your kids are going to get recruited by other schools and coaches. Maxie left Pasadena in a good spot that the district decided to take months to hire a new coach ain’t his fault but he had Pasadena kids playing for Pasadena and not leaving like they have previously
@Anonymous, Kids transferring in because of a coach and leaving once he leaves is not leaving the program in a better place…
What exactly does St Paul have to do with anything ER related, I get it you hate your alma mater and sent your kids to St. Paul however feel ripped off therefore your sole goal is to crap on all things ER good or bad. ER doesn’t have a functioning pool, it doesn’t meet cif regulations either, so there is definitely a need.
When St Paul received $2.2 million from the Los Angeles Archdioses, the Swordsmen people, knowing they lacked to power to tax the community for their desires, spent the money on a new turf field and a new wood basketball floor.
The ER district, which has the power to soak everyone in the city for its show-off building ideas, is set to drop major bucks into a swimming palace, something that’s extremely off the mark in terms of need, but is expected to draw oohs and aahs from motorists on Passons.
The fact that this aquatic structure is frivolous guarantees a fierce reaction before the first earth-moving machine arrives. The scramble to gets one’s hands on a piece of the public’s money is what fuels the back-stabbing and legal maneuvering that is endemic in Pico Rivera.
Fraud and corruption of this sort is not unique to Pico; it happens everywhere that offers the chance to seize the unearned. It just so happens that the fine folks running things at the Ranch have turned malfeasance into a fine art.
To answer your question monrovia does get one kid out a year d1. Do your home work please. This year two kids are d1 Ellison. Bush. Look at the history. Talent wins not a hard nose coach
@FBFan what are talking about maxie left both Pasadena and Arcadia in better spots. Were was Pasadena before he got there, that administration took months to hire a new coach isn’t his fault. And when you hire Maxie you know the game you’re playing which you’re going to get kids to come play for him because his successful runs a fun offensive style gets kids offers.
Not the 3rd, it’s the first, the last time they had a shovel ceremony was when they demo’d a building that had nothing to do with a stadium or athletic facilities. The track record for these politicians is terrible, but you either put the pressure on till it happens or you find every way to be a skeptic and crap on everything ER related.
I know the history, but what good does it do for you to post on a football blog, go post about it on the ERUSD Facebook/Instagram, speak during board meetings, call the school, it’s pointless doing this on here.
@ER: If you do not know the history of this project don’t comment. High expectations are criminal at ERUSD. I believe this is the third time in the last 6 years thay have had a shovel ceremony for a new field with the local politicians.
Not sure if he has coached a D1 player and not sure if it matters it’s not like Monrovia is factory for D1 talent like mater dei or bosco. His a good solid coach hard nose and if given time he will be successful they issue is as we saw with Jerry the fan base wants one of there own at Monrovia. But If wanted a coach that had D1 talent experience and would get kids offers there was Maxie, Matty V, the James brothers all available to hire and probably the best at getting kids D1 offers
Monrovia fans and Baldwin Park hypers, slow your role a bit. A game hasn’t even been played yet and Casagran is already being pummeled on these boards. A game hasn’t even been played yet, and BP under Maxie- who is in his first year as a Head Coach- is already being crowned. It’s July. Let’s see what the talk is like in October and November.
Yes he’s successful at South gate and la Roosevelt city schools. Chow also had successful season at eagle Rock and brought his loyal staff in also. He found out quickly its not the city section . Has coached any d1 players?
City coaches don’t do well at monrovia. Coach chow came with a staff didn’t a just to the community . Alumni are like no other very educated in the game. This new Coach will have a very short window. He must surround his self with coaches who know the community. Maddox had instant success reaching at to community and alumni. Knowing the history of monrovia football and the community.
This is not Roosevelt or Southgate its monrovia a different type of kid
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Your take on the situation is spot-on. The sports project may very well get hijacked by board members who feel they’re not being allowed to steal enough. What to do? This district needs to confine itself to refurbishments, such as replacing the football field, fixing the pool to conform with CIF standards, fixing the gymnasium roof, and PAINTING the campus buildings. This limits the theft of construction money and avoids the problem of half-finished projects such as you mention.
This limits the theft of construction money and avoids half-finished projects such as you mention.
What is the point of your post? Do you feel better by posting that? Are you just another one of those typical ER haters?
I give ER stadium because of the greedy politicians only a 50-50 chance of being built. There is just as good a chance it will be started then halted over infighting leaving the football team no home for years. When that happens Medrano and staff will exit.
ER is not pioneer, ER is a consistently strong program with a strong coaching staff that knows how to win, new stadium or old stadium ER will be successful under Adrian medrano.
Walls is helping Casagran at Monrovia. Just not as a coach. He hasn’t been a position coach for several years now. Craft and Mintor are the only ones not there. Coach Scott didn’t coach officially last season either. Newcomers Jesse Canada former player and Coach Dreu who has served on staff for the past few years will join also. great staff!
What Coach Maxie did as OC at Pasadena and Arcadia is to be commended. It’s clear that he’ll be able to do something good for a football program…. At least for a little while.
The problem is that when he left Arcadia, it went downhill fast. From the looks of it, same thing is happening at Pasadena. I prefer to see a coach leave a program better than he found it, not the opposite. Quick fixes are cool and exciting, but continuity and sustained success are better for kids and school communities as a whole. I hope he’s not just a 2-3 year coach at Baldwin Park. This isn’t college where coaches leave every few years because there’s big money to be chased.
Interesting part of about Maxie at Baldwin park is they fired Matty V for all being vocal on Twitter Maxie is a similar guy to Matty V
Jose Casagran has been successful at la Roosevelt and South Gate, he has his staff that his loyal to they have been successful give him time and let him run the program he wants to run
They better take to Coach Maxie if they want the program to be successful. Coaches were not shown the door they walked out of it to do bigger and better things. Get your facts right
Ecstatic over the ER stadium plan. Just look at what new construction did for Pioneer: it put them in a whole new league.
Saw monrovia numbers are down. No familiar faces on the coaching staff. Heard 3 kids transfered I truly hope this coach realizes that monrovia is different. Shame on him for not reaching out to the Walls . Craft. Those two have been the heart beat of the program for years smh. Ellison and Busch are dl kids.
Historically Baldwin Park is a community involved program. Will the BP alumni and parents take to the bling bling watch me coach at BP? Sure they got pub in Pasadena thanks to Peterson but getting shown the door after two seasons suggests something went haywire. Not sold on traveling salesmen coaching.
Glendale has a coach. Manny Lemus former DC at Chaminade
Monrovia has lost some mentors and leaders. I hope this new coach recognizes this is not the city section. He has to be active in the community Monrovia fans are well educated in the game. Walls ,craft scott. Are more than coaches their active in the community alumni from Monrovia and mentors to the young men. Robert Bush and Noah Ellison have the Scout’s very excited. Those two are d1 players..
Does Bassett have a coach yet?